Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Out of the Shadows

 BlueRose ~ Darkness and Light (2013)

What started as a cover band is now a Heavy Rock band from Italy, BlueRose could just about pass as a Doom Metal band at times, taking subtle cues from greats like Paradise Lost and Candlemass, but it's not hard to hear all of the modern influence that pours through along with the classic, with shades of bands like Lacuna Coil, and Symphonic Metal like passages on a couple songs, all the way to huge vocal dynamics and guitar tones that you find in so much Classic Rock, like Zeppelin and Queen. You might of guessed it's not a new sound they're pushing, far from it, but that fact can be overlooked when you play well enough to make the stale sound reasonably fresh, with seemingly endless catchy riffs and melodies.
The title track kicks things off, opening with a blast, this is one of the "almost Doom" songs that I mentioned before, with hammering drums and heavy, distorted riffs, the beat and melodies in the song are supremely catchy and will have you either nodding your head, or tapping your toe in time with the song, maybe even both. Even with the heavier Doom influences in the song, with the guitar solo towards the end of the track, it still very much has that classic Hard Rock vibe to the song, much like the entire album. The album's fourth track "On My Way" opens with up a classic 70's sounding Heavy Rock riff, reminding me a little bit of Orange Goblin, which can only be considered a good thing. Each song seems to have it's own, slightly different guitar tone, and this one is probably my favorite by far in that category. A couple songs after that you have the track "Leaving You", another one of the heavier, "Doom-ier" sounding songs, the crunchy, distorted riffs, heavy drums, and that wailing vocal performance, while it's clean overall, still has a bit of a raw edge to it, where the grit shines through just a touch. Towards the end, the songs turns into a chaotic whirlwind of guitar solos and a throbbing drum beat, but even through all of it, the melody in the song is still as evident as ever.
If you're a fan of classic rock and heavy metal, this is probably just your speed. Seeing these guys on a bill with Motorhead, Ozzy Osborne, Queensryche, or any of the older, well loved bands isn't difficult at all, and their sound would fit in perfectly, some would consider it timeless. If you like what you hear from these guys, you can pick up the album over at IBS and at the Andromeda Rocks website on CD, or you can get a digital copy over on iTunes.
~Skip

For Fans Of; Heaven and Hell, Motorhead, Black Label Society

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